Awareness of dementia risk reduction among current and future healthcare professionals: A survey study.

Abstract

Background: The total number of people affected by dementia worldwide is increasing rapidly. Recent studies provided evidence for the contribution of modifiable risk and protective factors to dementia risk. Although healthcare professionals could play an essential role in informing the general public about the relationship between lifestyle and dementia, it is unclear what they know about this relationship. Therefore, this study assesses the awareness of dementia risk reduction among current and future healthcare professionals.Design and methods: An online survey was carried out among 182 healthcare students from Maastricht University and 20 general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses in Limburg, The Netherlands. The survey assessed the knowledge about risk and protective factors of dementia and identified needs, wishes and barriers concerning dementia risk reduction strategies.Results: The majority of current (75.0%) and future (81.9%) healthcare professionals indicated that dementia risk reduction is possible. Among students, awareness of cardiovascular risk factors of dementia (e.g., coronary heart disease (44.5%), hypertension (53.8%)) was low. Most participants (>70.0%) would like to receive more information about dementia risk reduction.Conclusions: The majority of current and future healthcare professionals were aware of the relationship between lifestyle and dementia risk. However, there are still substantial gaps in knowledge regarding individual dementia risk factors. Given the essential role of healthcare professionals in providing lifestyle advice, there is a need to increase awareness by providing educational programs focused on dementia risk reduction. Significance for public health Since the number of individuals with dementia is increasing worldwide, dementia is a major public health concern. As there is no curative treatment for dementia yet, recent research has focused on the contribution of lifestyle factors to dementia risk. Cumulating evidence has shown that modifiable risk factors such as smoking, hypertension and depression are attributable to around 40% of all dementia cases. However, the majority of the general public is unaware of the relationship between lifestyle and dementia risk. Although current and future healthcare professionals play an important role in informing the general public about this relationship, the present study showed that there are gaps in knowledge on specific risk factors for dementia. Therefore, educational programs are urgently needed to increase awareness of dementia risk reduction among current and future healthcare professionals.